2006 Summer NAMM

It was a sad sight to see – this Mellotron got damaged in shipping to the NAMM show. Note the large crack along the left-hand side.

Fortunately, there are still a few Mellotron specialists still in the world.

Summer NAMM Update: Alesis announced the introduction of the Control Pad USB/MIDI Percussion Controller, a compact and versatile tool for expanding percussion options on stage and in the studio.

The Control Pad is designed to be equally at home as a performance instrument and as a MIDI programming tool for studio recording, giving musicians unprecedented capabilities in a percussion control instrument. The controller is also compact enough to be carried under the arm, providing a single source for performing and programming without requiring an entire arsenal of traditional percussion instruments.

The Alesis Control Pad includes eight durable velocity-sensitive rubber pads, two inputs for connecting additional pads, two for pedal controllers and one for the up/down footswitch, USB Plug and Play connectivity, and the ability to access programmed setups via MIDI Program Change commands. Customizable pad settings allow musicians and producers to tailor pad sensitivity to their individual playing styles. Each pad can also be individually assigned MIDI channels and note numbers.

In addition to the onboard pads, the new Controller also provides two trigger inputs for connecting external pads. Fully compatible with the Alesis Drum Pad and Cymbal Pad expansion kits, these inputs enable drummers and percussionists to customize their systems and create a pad drum kit that can be carried anywhere with ease. The two switch pedal inputs provide the option of an open and close hi-hat as well as kick drum.

The Controller’s up/down footswitch input lets players change styles fluidly and quickly. For example, a player can move from an elaborate conga, bongo, and shaker setup to a marimba or trap set in seconds. Similarly, the Control Pad’s 20 percussion setups stored to internal memory are accessible via MIDI Program Change commands.

In the studio and live, the Pad is USB plug-and-play ready, integrating perfectly with Mac and PC desktop recording systems. Its intuitive interface allows quick editing and easy user setup. This versatile instrument also is USB bus-powered, eliminating the need for an external power supply while connected to a computer.

For interfacing with dedicated hardware such as sound modules, samplers, or hardware-based sequencers, the Control Pad provides MIDI input/output connectors, and the AC power adapter (included) powers the Control Pad when it is used without a computer. It’s also bundled with BFD Lite software containing professional-quality acoustic and electric drum modules. BFD Lite enhances the Pad’s functionality with several features including multi-velocity kits with customizable drum sounds, microphone mixing, and preset grooves. The Control Pad is also compatible with other software such as Propellerhead’s Reason, which gives musicians additional sound options.

The new Alesis Control Pad USB/MIDI Percussion Controller is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2006.

More information is available at the Alesis site.

NAMM 2006 Winter Show: Akai Professional introduced the EWI4000S Wind Controller.

The newest addition to the EWI family incorporates numerous enhancements to its overall design as a wind controller, and adds an integrated analog modeling synthesizer optimized for wind control, dedicated MIDI In and Out ports, an audio output, new performance functions, internal effects processing, and computer software for editing one’s sounds.

With its internal dual voice analog modeling synthesizer, the new EWI4000S is now a self-contained performance instrument. This synthesizer features two voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO)—with an individual volume control— that incorporate sawtooth, triangle, square, and pulse width waveforms. Further, the voltage-controlled filters (VCF) enable changing from 2- to 4-pole filters. With a new noise generator, the EWI’s VCF adds greater realism to one’s playing by emulating breath noise. This on-board synthesizer also incorporates a new sweep function that is considerably more effective than a conventional envelope generator. As one changes the force of their playing, the sweep parameter alters the shape of the sound. Read more…

The Zeit Step Sequencer is a long-anticipated project from Infection Music. It was announced, long ago, along with several other Berlin-school themed mega-sequencers, including the Phaedra and the Atem.

The Zeit made its US debut at the 2006 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California at the synth orgy known as the Analog Haven booth.

Unfortunately, it was not in action, because it had just arrived the previous day.

It looks like it will be an impressive option for synthesists wanting a big, knob-infested analog-style interface for working with sequences. Read more…

2006 NAMM Show Update: CME announced two new MIDI controllers, the Bitstream 3X desktop and GPP-3 pedal controllers, which have feature sets never before seen in MIDI controllers.

The Bitstream 3X is designed for controlling Virtual Instrument, DAWs, and other MIDI hardware. This compact desktop unit is the only 3 axis (X,Y and Z) controller on the market and includes 5 knobs, 8 sliders, 16 buttons, a joystick, a cross-fader and an infrared controller. The joystick controls the X and Y axis while the infrared beam controls the Z axis. The Bitstream 3x is fully programmable and includes more than 13,000 presets for popular samplers, synthesizers, and software including Propellerheads Reason and Rebirth, Steinberg Cubase, Ableton Live, Native Instruments Reaktor, Traktor, Kontakt, and Absynth, Fruity Loops and more. An 8 track motion sampler, transport functions, and a large LCD display round out this versatile unit.

The GPP-3 Programmable Grand-Piano Style MIDI Pedal includes three polished metal pedals housed in an elegant wooden casing for complete stability on the floor and reliability on the road. Designed to be used with any synthesizer, digital piano, or any MIDI control applications, all of the GPP-3’s polar-switchable pedals are programmable to any MIDI CC# and one is a continuous controller. It’s built in CPU stores user settings and send control data through USB, MIDI or ¼ inch control jacks with voltage trim capability.

The Bitstream 3X will be available in April, 2006 for $399.99 MSRP.

The GPP-3 will be available in March, 2006 for $109.99 MSRP.

More information is available at the CME Pro site.